Coke To Recycle A Bottle Or Can For Every One They Sell By 2030

By: Bill McCool

If you love something, let it go. And when it comes back to you, incinerate it into molten aluminum so that it can be recycled and made into a can once again. You know, love.

Far be it from us to detail the contours of love, but perhaps Coke can? In a press release from last week, the Coca-Cola company has unveiled their bold sustainable packaging plan for the next two decades - by 2030 Coke will collect and recycle a can or bottle for every one they sell. Additionally, Coca-Cola will try to develop a bottle that is 100% recyclable (they are currently at 85%). They’ve called this ambitious plan “World Without Waste” and they plan to look at the entire lifecycle of their packaging from soup to nuts. Or in this case, coke to high fructose corn syrup.

In the press release, Coke’s senior director of environmental policy Ben Jordan says, “The issue of packaging waste – and specifically marine debris – is more visible, and more of a threat to our planet, than ever. The world has a packaging problem, and we – like other companies – have a responsibility to help solve it and ensure bottles and cans don’t end up where they don’t belong. We sold 128 billion PET plastic bottles last year, and too many of them ended up as waste. We all need to help collect and recycle more packaging, keeping that material in the economy and out of our environment.”

McDonald’s will do this by trying to raise global awareness about how consumers can better recycle their waste. On its face, this seems like a nearly impossible task, as some countries have better recycling rates than others. Gold star countries like Germany have a 65% recycling rate while both Turkey and Chile round out the worst offenders with a 1% rate. Coke will need to lead the pack in order to help drive policy change globally, and that means working with NGO’s and local communities to greatly improve sustainability measures.

So if you’d like to buy the world a Coke, make sure you at least get the can back. They’re going to need it.

Bill McCoolBill McCool is a freelance writer based out of Los Angeles. Though new to the world of design, he has always been a storyteller by trade and he seeks to inspire and cultivate a sense of awe with the work and artists he profiles. When he's not winning over his daughters with the art of the Dad joke, he is usually working on a pilot, watching the Phillies, or cooking an elaborate meal for his wife.